Manoj Jarange alleges ‘conspiracy’ to ‘kill him’ amid Maratha quota stir, says ‘will accept death but not surrender’

Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil on Sunday alleged that there was a plot to kill him and cause unrest during his planned 'peaceful' march to Mumbai over the Maratha reservation issue. He said he would “accept death but will not surrender”.

Jarange said on Saturday that he and his supporters would leave for Mumbai on September 15. He plans to begin an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in the state capital on September 19, demanding reservation for Marathas in jobs and education.

Jarange Patil alleges ‘conspiracy’ to kill him

Jarange, whose hunger strike entered its 16th day on Sunday, alleged that people linked to the ruling parties could be sent into the march to cause disorder and attack him. He made the claim while speaking to supporters and media persons at the protest site in Antarwali Sarati village in Maharashtra's Jalna district, news agency PTI reported.

"I will accept death, but I will not surrender," he said, adding that the government still had eight days to settle the matter before the planned protest in Mumbai.

"We will have to respond when someone steps on the tail of a snake," he added, warning that his supporters could challenge some ministers politically.

The activist also claimed on Sunday that some BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MLAs were contacting his supporters and telling them not to take part in the march.

"There is a conspiracy to shoot me during the march. They do not want to kill Marathas, but want to target me,” he alleged.

He told those who were scared that they did not have to join the march. He also made an emotional appeal to his supporters to travel to Mumbai and, if necessary, even take part in his funeral procession.

Why is he protesting?

Jarange-Patil wants Kunbi caste certificates to be issued to Marathas based on 5.8 million documents collected by the government. Such certificates would allow members of the Maratha community to access benefits under the OBC quota.

He has also sought the implementation of provisions in the Satara, Kolhapur and Bombay gazetteers to make it easier to issue Kunbi certificates.

The state government says 12 of the 15 demands raised by Jarange-Patil have been met. However, the activist maintains that the government has failed to honour its commitments.

Jarange said he would begin his march to Mumbai on September 15, a day after the Ganesh festival begins. He and his supporters will first stop at Patoda in Beed, followed by Shrigonda in Ahilyanagar the next day and Hadapsar in Pune on September 17, HT reported earlier.

They will stay overnight in Khopoli on September 18 before reaching Azad Maidan at 11:00am on September 19.